Indian wrestling's Tokyo Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya will miss the Asian Olympic Trials (April 19-21) and World Olympic Trials in Kyrgyzstan after failing to win the national trials in Sonipat. will not participate as a representative. Türkiye (May 9th-12th). Do they have a chance to participate in the Olympics? The presenters are:
Punia, a Tokyo bronze medalist, lost to Rohit in the semi-final of the 65kg category in the national trials on Sunday. However, she forfeited her chance of finishing in the top four at the trials as Punia did not compete in the deciding match against Vishal Kaliraman. Kalilaman was not on the mat when officials called him a third and final time.
However, Kaliraman was placed 4th on the official result sheet. “Officials claimed that they were informed that Kalilaman was at the wrestling venue. That's why he was placed fourth,” said a member of the special committee. Bajrang officially announced that the reason for his absence from the 3rd and 4th place match was “illness”. However, the official results list 2 VIN (both wrestlers injured) for the match between Bajrang and Kalilaman. Bajrang's path to Paris may not be closed. He believes Tokyo's Olympic medal winners should be invited to a May 31 trial that will decide who will challenge them to compete for a spot in Paris. .
What about Dahiya?
Ravi Dahiya, the silver medalist in the 57kg category, failed to advance to the semi-finals. However, in the match to decide the third and fourth place wrestlers, Rahul did not appear, so the match against Shubham, who finished third, was abandoned. In the official result sheet, Dahiya moved up to 4th place.
Why is it important to finish in the top four at National Trials?
The winners of the national trials are the wrestlers who will represent India in both the Olympic trials. Asia and the world. According to the special committee's rules, if there is a winner of an Olympic quota in a weight class, that wrestler will have to defeat his challenger on June 5 to represent India at the Paris Olympics. A trial will be held on May 31st to determine the challengers for each weight class. The wrestlers who placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th in this tournament will be eligible to participate in the trials on May 31st.
Therefore, if Sujeet Karkar (65kg), who won the national trials, qualifies for the Olympics, he will have to fight against the winner of the trials on May 31st. Wrestlers Rohit, Anuj and Kaliraman who finished second, third and fourth in the national trials on March 10 will compete in this category. If the medalists from the Tokyo Olympics are called to the selection session, Bajrang is likely to participate as well.
Are the standards different for the women's 53kg class?
Yes, in the women's 53kg category, Antim Panhal had already earned a spot in the world championships after winning bronze at last year's world championships. Therefore, the top four competitors in the domestic trials in the 53kg weight class will participate in the trials on May 31st to determine the challenger who will face Antim on June 5th. The top four are Anju, Pooja, Vinesh Phogat and Nancy. No Indian wrestler will be participating in the Asian and World Olympic Qualifiers in the 53kg category as Antim has already secured a spot. Antim also has the right to directly participate in the 2024 Asian Championships.
What are the chances of Vinesh Phogat qualifying for the Olympics?
Vinesh participated in both the 50kg and 53kg categories at the national trials held in Patiala on Monday. Since she won the 50kg trial, she has a chance to represent India in this weight class and earn a spot in the Asian and World Olympic Qualifications. She will also compete in the 53kg trial on May 31st, and if she wins, she will become a challenger to Antim, who has earned a spot.
How do wrestlers earn a spot in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers and the World Olympic Qualifiers?
The top two athletes in each weight class in the Asian Qualifiers will earn a spot to compete in their respective countries. According to the United World Wrestling website, there are three spots in each weight class for the World Olympic Qualifiers.
